


Just a Touch (For Good Luck)

by Ikalla22



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, M/M, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Tags May Change, Transgender Leon, Transgender Nessa, Very Loosely A Soulmate Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikalla22/pseuds/Ikalla22
Summary: In the grand city of Wyndon, there is a beautiful statue.Clad in gallant knight’s armor, with hair that flowed long and triumphant down its back, it has stood for ages, tall and proud, an ever-watchful gaze fixated on Galar’s horizon. No one is certain how the statue came to be, nor even who the subject is, but all are certain they must have been a hero.-When Sonia drags Raihan to Wyndon to solve Galar's greatest historical mystery, he finds himself stumbling into an adventure that threatens to upend everything he knows.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Kibana | Raihan & Sonia, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	Just a Touch (For Good Luck)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my animal crossing hiatus and finally managed to get this hammered out! 
> 
> This is pretty heavily influenced by [this prompt ](https://www.instagram.com/p/BxFZheHFNTX/) but the story sort of spiraled into its own monster so I hope you're in for the long run!

In the grand city of Wyndon, there is a beautiful statue.

Clad in gallant knight’s armor, with hair that flowed long and triumphant down its back, it has stood for ages, tall and proud, an ever-watchful gaze fixated on Galar’s horizon. No one is certain how the statue came to be, nor even who the subject is, but all are certain they must have been a hero.

“It must be an ancient knight.” Some say. “Honored in bronze by the very people they saved.”

“Perhaps it is a great king.” Others proclaim. “The same one that unified Galar in her time of need.”

“Or…” Few whisper. “maybe they’re simply a person, lost and alone.”

  
  


“Searching.”

-

“I’m headed out for the day!” Raihan called out as he slung his jacket over his broad shoulders. Large hands patted down the pockets, and his shoulders twisted as he takes one final look at his own desk in the small, cramped office space they had been provided in the back of the Vault. Camilla, who had been leaned over Aria’s desk to discuss something with her, looked up at the commotion with an arched brow.

“Already?” She asked, her tone crisp as dark eyes darted to look over at the old clock hung on their office wall. “But it’s barely even three.”

Raihan’s brow pinched as he scrabbled with his zipper, fumbling with the clasp as he spoke. “I thought...” A quick puff of relief as the zipper slid into place. “I thought I mentioned it?” He looked up, lips pulled into a thin line as he tried to recall the events of the day. Something about their deal with Macro Cosmos? And Sebastian complaining about the new interns? Shit, maybe he hadn’t said anything. “Sonia’s in town and I promised her a lunch date.”

A soft hum buzzed through Camilla’s lips as she tilted her head, thinking. “You did.” Sebastian’s voice interrupted their conversation as he leaned back in his seat to meet Raihan’s eyes. “You mentioned it a few days ago, actually. It’s on our calendars.” He shot Camilla a look.

Camilla huffed, her mouth curving into a pout as she crossed her arms. “Well, you can’t blame me.” She whined, a hint of irritation teasing the edges of her voice. “We’ve been busy _all_ month and I have all my unimportant notifications muted!”

“No one’s blaming you for anything, ‘Milla.” Raihan cut in quickly, a soft, warm smile on his face as his employees and friends turned to look at him with mixed expressions. “We know better than anyone how busy it’s been. Just an oversight. Don’t sweat the details.”

She merely rolled her eyes in response, but the line of her shoulders relaxed as she shifted to lean against Aria’s desk. “We _have_ to sweat the details, _Boss_. It’s our job?” Her voice dipped teasingly at his title. “And anyways, if we didn’t, you’d hand our asses to us on a silver platter.”

“Keep that up and I’ll make it gold.” Raihan teased back as Aria stifled a giggled behind her palms. Sebastian let out a sigh from where he was seated, an amused light twinkling in his eyes as Raihan took one last look at his desk. “Anyways,” He continued as he slipped his phone into his back pocket, “I _do_ really have to go so...”

“We can handle this.” Aria answered, a knowing smile on her face as she waved him away. “You got us through most of the tough stuff already. Don’t worry so much!”

“Yeah! Go have fun with Professor Sonia.” Sebastian chimed in, shooting Raihan a look that said ‘relax and enjoy yourself or else.’

“And tell her we said hi.” Camilla waved, her attention already focused back in on Aria’s laptop screen as Raihan made to exit out the back door.

“Will do!” He threw his hand up in goodbye and stepped out.

A left, then a right, another left, and soon Raihan was stepping out into the late Hammerlocke afternoon. A gentle breeze brushed by him, curling against his cheeks and filling his lungs with cool, crisp air as he took in a deep breath. Distantly, he could hear the sounds of foot traffic as people bustled through the streets doing whatever it is that they did on a Wednesday afternoon. A child called out for her parents, urging them to ‘hurry up!’ as a street hawker yelled out to the crowds to sell his wares.

 _Ah_ , Raihan thought to himself, his lips pulled up in a gentle smile as he made his way out of the Vault’s back alleyway, _it’s a good day._

As he turned onto the sidewalk, careful not to run into anyone, he felt a gentle vibration from his pocket. Long, deft fingers slipped his phone out as he navigated the familiar streets.

 **Soni (14:53)** I’m @ the café! Sitting by the window :)

 **Soni (14:53)** I’m hungry… so hurry up and meet me here!! xP

He huffed, amused as he waited at a crosswalk.

 **Rai (15:01)** bossy! Lol

 **Rai (15:01)** i’m omw now. be there in 5

 _Blip!_ The sudden beep of the crosswalk light turning green drew Raihan’s attention away from his phone screen. He haphazardly shoved it back into his pocket as he crossed, eyes peeled for traffic as he navigated his way across the street. There was another buzz from his phone, but he didn’t bother to pick it up as he ducked through a shortcut he was familiar with. It was probably Sonia just responding, anyways, he thought as he turned left back onto the bustling sidewalk.

The first thing that greeted him, as he neared his destination, was the muted scent of flowers mixed with an underlying hint of freshly baked goods and the sounds of chatter. From where he stood, he could just make out the shape of the café’s storefront and outdoor seating arrangements. His stride quickened, and as he neared, he saw Sonia through the window, phone in hand as she waited for his arrival.

“Raihan!” The man at the counter shouted warmly, raising a hand to greet him. “Good to see you again! Your lady friend is over there!” He gestured with his thumb in the direction of Sonia’s seat, said woman still hyper-focused on her phone and barely aware that Raihan had arrived. It brought a dumb grin to his face, and he nodded to the man as he moved past him.

“Thanks, Bernard! I’ll take it from here!”

He cleared his throat as he reached Sonia’s table, and she startled as he slid into the seat across from her. “Well, hello there, miss.” She stifled a giggle as he wiggled his brows. “What’s a lovely lady like yourself doing all alone?”

She twirled her hair coyly, offering him the cutest smile she could manage as she bat her eyelashes. “Oh, only waiting for my friend to get here already. He’s _such_ a slowpoke.”

“Har, har.” Raihan leaned forward, his grin sharpening at the edges in a teasing manner. “Next time I’ll make sure to take _even longer_. I’m a busy man, you know.”

“Standing me up on our special date, huh? Guess I better cry to Nessa about how mean you are.”

“Oh, please don’t,” Raihan’s eyes widened ever so slightly in fear, “she’d kick my ass if I made you cry.”

Sonia stared at him a moment, before her expression cracked into a wide smile and the two found themselves breaking into breathless giggles. From besides them, an older couple glared at them menacingly, and Raihan nodded his head towards them apologetically as he tried to get Sonia to calm down just a little with a gentle nudge to her leg.

“You know,” Raihan started, once Sonia had gotten her giggles under control, “ass-kicking aside. It’s good to see you again.”

“Agreed.” Sonia lifted her mug to her lips. “It’s been… what? Three months?”

“Seriously?” His face contorted into a grimace, had it really been that long? Part of him refused to believe that it had; he always prided himself in keeping up with his friends. Sure, some of them he couldn’t keep up with, what with their busy schedules constantly clashing, but he’d always made an exception for Sonia. Until now, he guessed. “Sorry. I guess that’s my fault, huh?”

Sonia eyed him curiously, brows furrowed as she shook her head. “No, it’s fine!” Her voice was kind as she reached out with her free hand to gently touch his arm. “I have my own research to attend to, and I _know_ how important the museum is to you. Let’s call it a… mutual misalignment of schedules.”

She winked at him, and that brought a thoughtful sort of smile to his face. “Sure. I can deal with that.”

“Good.” She chuckled, shifting back in her seat to take a long sip of her tea. “And, hey, at least it means things are going well, right?”

Raihan snorted, picking idly at the edge of the menu as he waited for a waiter to pass by. “Something like that.” He shook his head. “We’ve got a new collection coming in soon, and well…” He waved his hand in the air dismissively, not wanting to think about the headache of a deal they were currently navigating. It wasn’t that Macro Cosmos was being stingy about the collection they were sending in. Quite the opposite actually. There was a _lot_ of paperwork to go through before the final collection could be sent in, and Raihan was, quite frankly, done with dealing with it. “Let’s just say it’s still in the works right now.”

“Sounds exciting.” There was a gleam in Sonia’s eyes that told him that she knew exactly how exciting it was. “Still wishing you’d gone into field research instead of museum curating?”

“You wish.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “Speaking of, how’s your research going? I remember you mentioned visiting Turffield the last time you texted me?”

Sonia immediately straightened up; expression bright with barely contained excitement as she set her cup down. “Yeah! You know that geoglyph? The big one on the hill?” Raihan nodded. “I got in contact with the family who takes care of that land, and they let me take some pictures. I noticed something while I was looking at them, and well, maybe it’s just easier to show you.” She trailed off as she dug around in her purse for her phone; Raihan already leaning forward in his seat, eager to hear her gush about her most recent findings.

-

“So,” Raihan picked at the remains of the late lunch he’d ordered as he eyed Sonia, “let me get this straight. You’re saying that the inscriptions on Turfield’s geoglyphs might match the ones on Wyndon’s Knight?”

She nodded, swallowing her mouthful of tea before speaking. “It’s not an exact match.” She gestured down at her phone, a low quality picture of the Wyndon Knight displayed on the screen. “And there could be some artifacting from the photo upload, but here.” Her fingers pinched at the screen, zooming in on a set of letters. “I wasn’t able to find any clearer images, but it matches the runes carved into the hillside.”

Teal eyes squinted as Raihan examined the image closely. It was definitely _not_ the best photograph he’d ever seen, but it was enough that he could make out the shape of the language carved into the cape. His gaze darted to the napkin on the table, where he’d messily scrawled the writing from Turffield’s hill as a reference. There were _certainly_ similarities. Enough so that one couldn’t exactly deny that the languages matched. Perhaps a shared common tongue? “I see where you’re getting with this.” He finally said, handing Sonia’s phone back to her even as his brain worked a mile a minute. “But wouldn’t that mean-”

“That the statue has something to do with the Darkest Day?” Sonia pressed the top edge of her phone to her lips, likely to hide the smile that was certainly growing there. “Mayhaps.”

“But,” Raihan leaned forward, pressing his fingers to his forehead as he stared down at his messy handwriting again, “that… doesn’t make any sense. You know the legend as well as I do. There are _two_ heroes.” He lifted his head to regard her with a critical look. “Why make one statue?”

“What about the one in Motostoke?” Sonia fired back immediately. “It could easily be the other knight told about in the story. Perhaps the statues got separated?”

“No way.” He shook his head. “First off,” He held up one finger, “even if they _did_ somehow get separated, why would one end up in Motostoke? It’s not like it’s a particularly important city historically. And second,” He held up a second finger, “they’re not even made of the same material. Wyndon’s Knight is cast in bronze, and Motostoke’s is made of limestone.”

Sonia pursed her lips. “What if the tapestries were wrong?” She inquired, tilting her head. “I mean, what proof do we have that the tapestries are right and the statue is wrong?”

“Oral history.” Raihan responded plainly.

“Which could be _wrong_.” She pointed out, a playful grin spreading across her lips. “But, you have a point, as much as I hate it.”

“Victory!” He responded teasingly, raising his arms triumphantly even as Sonia kicked him under the table.

“Still,” She huffed, looking at him pointedly, “there’s a chance it’s all connected. If we could just… go to see the statue and confirm it for ourselves-”

“Wait, we?” Raihan raised a brow in amusement as he wrapped fingers around the handle of his mug. “You’re the Darkest Day researcher here. _I_ have a museum to run.” He half expected her to roll her eyes and correct herself, but instead her lips quirked into a barely noticeable smirk. The hand holding his mug, which was already halfway to his mouth, paused in its motion and he stared at her.

Teal eyes narrowed as he set the cup back down. “Alright, spill. What have you got up your sleeve?”

The words only made Sonia’s smirk grow, and Raihan couldn’t help the prickling anticipation in his gut. “Well,” She clicked her tongue, “you know how Nessa and I are in town? For her photoshoot and all?”

He nodded slowly. Nessa _had_ mentioned it to him when she’d texted a few weeks earlier, demanding that Raihan make time to hang out with her and Sonia. He’d been on board of course. It was why he was here now, talking with Sonia. But as per usual, Nessa’s schedule shifted and it was impossible to find time to hang out. He’d been a tad upset when she’d messaged him about it, but knew it wasn’t anything either of them could control.

“Turns out they actually want to finish up with some shots in Wyndon. Something about,” Sonia waved her hand in the air, “the flowers being in bloom until the end of the month. And Nessa already agreed to it, so we’ll be there next week.”

“Okay, and?” The question was forming on his tongue before Sonia had even finished her sentence. “What does this have to do with me?”

She grinned, warm and bright. “ _I_ thought, maybe, since you and Nessa couldn’t meet up while we’re here-”

“Sonia.”

“-it would be nice for you guys to hang out in Wyndon. Her schedule is mostly free-”

“Soni, wait-”

“-since this was mostly a spur of the moment thing by her sponsors. And she _misses_ you, Rai.”

That made him pause.

“Sonia, I can’t.” Raihan started slowly, the words like ash on his tongue. “Things are just _too_ hectic with the Vault. I can’t just-”

“I talked to Sebastian already.” Sonia interrupted with a sly smile. “He said they could handle it.”

Raihan spluttered. “You and Seb talk to each other?”

She didn’t deem him with a response and simply continued. “He told me Camilla and Aria have all of your notes, and that the deal with Cosmos won’t flub if you’re gone for a day. _And,”_ There was a hand in Raihan’s face before he could even begin to protest, “they all think you could use a break. God knows how much of a toll this deal has been taking on you if _I_ haven’t seen you in this long.”

He stared at her hand mouth open as he tried to formulate a response to everything Sonia had just laid out for him. Sure, she certainly made a good point. He _knew_ he could trust his friends and employees to handle things while he was gone, but he didn’t actually expect them to go out of their way to side with her. Had he really been that stressed out in the past few months that they were starting to notice?

His teeth clicked as he shut his mouth and gently reached up to push Sonia’s hand down. Her brows were narrowed, as if daring him to try and make up an excuse to wiggle out of this surprise vacation. “You drive a hard bargain.” He finally uttered, deflating a little into his seat as the tenseness in Sonia’s shoulders dissipated. “Still can’t believe you talk to them behind my back.”

“It’s not behind your back if I tell you.” Sonia chided sweetly, the edges of her eyes going soft as she relaxed against her chair. “And it’s not an ultimatum. You don’t _have_ to go if you really don’t want to. I just think,” Her eyes trailed towards the window, looking out towards the street as the setting sun turned the sky pink, “it’ll be good for you.”

Raihan believed that.

“I’ll…” He sighed. “I’ll think about it, alright?” He scratched the back of his head as the last rays of sunlight gently caught the corner of the napkin he’d written on, illuminating it in the dim lighting of the cafe.

-

Artifical lights flooded his apartment as Raihan pushed open the door to his apartment, his body sluggish and heavy as he staggered in. The bag, heavy with documents and other materials, slid off his shoulders and thumped against the ground as he slowly slid the front door shut behind him. Darkness engulfed his vision, and although Raihan was only a few steps from the light switch, he opted to ignore it to fall face first onto his couch.

A deep exhale escaped him, and he wiggled around so he was on his back, staring up at the moonlit ceiling. Teal eyes stared unseeing up at the white roof, tracing the scuffs and indents as he thought about the day’s events. A trip to Wyndon, huh? The thought made his stomach clench in an unfamiliar way. Was it excitement? Nerves? Raihan couldn’t tell as he shifted onto his side.

 _Buzz_.

The gentle vibration in his back pocket broke his train of thought, and he shuffled around awkwardly to grab his phone. It was nearly eight at night. Who could that possibly be? He huffed as he turned on his screen, fluorescent lights illuminating his face at the couch cushions as he checked his notifications. There were a few messages from Sebastian updating him on what the team had been up to. Milo had sent him a picture, and apparently Piers was asking if he was still down for the concert in a few months.

There was another buzz, and the notifications dropped down as another message from Sonia came through.

 **Soni (8:25 PM):** Ness wanted to say hi!

 **Soni (8:25 PM):** And said it’s ok if you end up not going, but she’d love to see you c:

 **Soni (8:26 PM):** Also said you’re a huge nerd and she loves you.

Raihan chuckled at the silly messages, an affectionate look washing over his features as he read and re-read the message. Fingers glided across the screen as he tapped a message back, before he reached out to settle his phone onto the coffee table. He pushed himself up with a groan, rubbing the back of his head as he turned to face the balcony door. There was another buzz from his phone, probably a response from Sonia, but he opted to ignore it to pace towards the balcony.

Cool wind brushed against his face, playing with the loose strands of hair as he stepped outside. Below, Hammerlocke’s lights glowed, warm and welcoming in the darkness of the night. The great, ancient castle that rested at the city’s center towered over him, it’s pillars spiraling high into the cloudy night sky. Beyond that, he could make out the dragon statue that adorned the roof of the Vault. And if he closed his eyes, he was certain he could imagine the dazzling gleam of Wyndon’s nightlife.

Something about that image tugged at an unknown feeling deep in him. His blood sang with longing as he focused his gaze towards the horizon where he knew Wyndon lie. From here, he wasn’t able to see it, but he knew it stood, tall and proud and waiting. Waiting for _him_.

 _Calling to him_.

A loud howl pierced the silence and Raihan felt himself snap back to reality. He shook his head as clarity returned to his eyes, and carefully stepped away from the railing as if he’d been shocked. An odd feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, and suddenly he was aware of how cold it really was. _Must really be stressed out if I’m zoning out like this_. He thought as he hurried back inside his warm apartment, the wind nipping at his heels.As he slid the glass door shut behind him, his gaze landed on his phone. Shaky fingers pulled the curtains closed, and he shuffled over the light switch as he hummed.

Maybe a vacation _would_ do him some good.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story title is a double reference to "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum and also references the weird cultural phenomenon where we touch statues for good luck because... reasons. (I.E. look up Verona's Juliet Statue. We do some weird shit guys)
> 
> TBH, between this story, [Close To The Heavens](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23374681/chapters/56006992), and all the other things I try to do irl, my upload schedule is going to be incredibly wonky. I'll likely be updating this one a little more often just because it's been properly planned out already, but don't expect too much. I'm a slow ass writer and chapter fics are not my specialty.
> 
> Other than that, I hope everyone is doing alright what with the craziness in the world. Stay safe, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful rest of your day!
> 
> [twitter ](https://twitter.com/Ikalla22)


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